Reviews of "Twist Your Dickens"

Posted 01 November 2017

L-R: John San Nicolas as the Ghost of Jacob Marley and Craig Cackowski as Scrooge. Photo by Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv.

Full-of-surprises Holiday Sketch Spoof

"A brainchild of Chicago’s world-famous improv brand The Second City, Twist uses the Dickens narrative as a very loose framework, but between the familiar Victorian hauntings, it also spoofs as many other Christmas classics as it can. ... Twist comes at humor from so many angles, with such irreverence and zeal, your amusement is practically guaranteed." -Oregon ArtsWatch

Don't Miss Twist

"If you love adult comedy and a lot of laughs, you must get to Portland Center Stage ... The fact that you can see talent from The Second City here in Portland is worth the trip in and of itself. The adult comedy Twist Your Dickens is a complete send-up of the holiday classic featuring the improvisational genius of the legendary The Second City. Hilarity at its best. I laughed the whole time, as did most of the audience." -Merlot Mommy

Wit and Invention

"Part sketch comedy, part improv, part genre satire, the show was written by alums from ‘The Colbert Report’ and developed by Chicago’s famed Second City troupe, the launching pad for countless ‘Saturday Night Live’ stars ... the play’s most novel feature is its use of audience participation ... the fun was watching the cast spin and riff off the suggestions, energizing each other with their wit and invention." -PQ Monthly

Fun for the Whole Family

"Second City brings something fresh to the tired holiday fare in Portland. With pop culture humor aimed at a younger audience, the show is amusing for the whole family (excluding your snarky older sibling who’s used to edgier sketch comedy), no matter the tangential structure. Come with an open mind, and don’t take yourself too seriously. After all, look where that gets Scrooge." -Portland Monthly

Cast is Very Funny

"Twist Your Dickens is not a straight-up parody of Dickens' morality play, for which we should all thank PCS. Instead, writers Bobby Mort and Peter Gwinn (previously of The Colbert Report) have concocted a skeletal narrative framework around which the cast improvises, which means every performance of Twist Your Dickens will be slightly different. Its Chicago/Portland-based cast is very funny, and the show's improvised segments are its best. There's even some mild audience participation that, miraculously, works, plus an adorably cartoonish Grim Reaper. (You heard it here first!)" -Portland Mercury

A Wild Ride

"I can't say any more about Twist Your Dickens because I want you to discover its surprises as happily as I did. But I will make one recommendation: In the lobby of the theatre there is a booth where you are going to be asked to write your biggest misdeed on a piece of red or green paper. This may seem like an odd request, but trust me - you want to participate. Whatever you write on that paper might just end up being part of the show. The night I saw Twist Your Dickens, the funniest running gag arrived that way, and I wish I could shake the hand of the person who wrote it. And that's the great thing about improv." -BroadwayWorld

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About PCS

Portland Center Stage at The Armory inspires our community by bringing stories to life in unexpected ways. It is the largest theater company in Portland and among the top 20 regional theaters in the country. Established in 1988 as a branch of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the company became independent in 1994 and has been under the leadership of Artistic Director Chris Coleman since 2000. Around 150,000 visitors attend The Armory annually to enjoy a mix of classical, contemporary and world premiere productions, along with the annual JAW: A Playwrights Festival, and a variety of high quality education and community programs. Home to two theaters, The Armory was the first building on the National Register of Historic Places — and the first performing arts venue in the country — to achieve a LEED Platinum rating.